CELL adds textbooks to their curriculum

One of Lee’s community-centered volunteer and learning opportunities, the Center for English Language Learning (CELL), has opened its doors once again to students and ESL learners across Cleveland. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, CELL provides a space for TESOL and education students to volunteer and practice their skills in the classroom.

Dr. Christopher Blake runs the program, describing it as “the only place in Cleveland where anybody can go, where on a Tuesday or Thursday evening, they can meet people from thirty different countries.”

This semester, the program is introducing textbooks and other new resources for the first time.

“Everybody has a textbook. They're going to be getting 40 hours of English instruction for only $10.00. These students can take these resources home and keep learning English when they're not in class,”  Blake said.

These ESL students are not the only students who will be learning from these new textbooks.

“It's also going to be great for the teachers in the program because now they get to learn how to navigate textbooks, and in most of the educational world they will be using textbooks to teach.” Blake said.

Blake hopes for CELL to create an environment of mutual learning, for both Lee students as well as for non-English speakers in the community. 

As they work to assist their students further, Blake and Dr. Arlie Tagayuna have begun to work together to connect ESL students to other important resources.

“We want to connect people with services in the community like Immigration Services. And we're trying to get the word out regarding employment, citizenship and how to stay safe in this area,” Blake said. “I'm looking forward to helping them at another level beyond what just teaching English involves.”

Lee welcomes community members and students to plug in to this learning and volunteering opportunity as it begins this fall semester. CELL meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. on the first floor of the Walker Memorial Building.